DE 195 33 960 C2 discloses a method wherein one material layer each is applied on a base in the form of a trace and is subsequently fused or compacted, respectively, by means of a laser beam. Subsequently, a second layer is applied and compacted, and so on, with the number of the layers applied and compacted by means of a laser beam depending on the desired height of the work piece. On applying a new layer, this new layer always combines with the surface of the layer applied before. The powder-metallurgical production of the work piece is followed by a finishing of both the lateral faces and the surface by means of a cutting process. In the case of the known method it is taken care that non-melted powder is always removed from the working area by blowing or sucking it off.
With the method known, comparatively short production times can be achieved for exactly dimensioned work pieces when the radiation device and the mechanical processing device are computer-controlled. A problem of the production method known, however, consists in that in the edge area of the work pieces produced, i.e. in the area of the lateral faces, a non-uniform material consistency is generated and that especially porosities may occur.
For solution of this problem, DE 195 33 960 C2 suggests to fuse material beyond the desired contour dimension and to remove the distinctly projecting edges of the work piece by means of subsequent mechanical processing. By means of this procedure, it is indeed possible to remove so much material in the area of the lateral faces that a homogeneous material consistency can be achieved; this, however, renders the expenses, i.e. the working time and the tool costs, to become undesirably high.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method which substantially reduces the materials expenses with a mechanical finishing of the surface of the outer contour of the work piece and simultaneously ensures a high surface quality of the outer contour.